In the midst of the very active North Atlantic hurricane season, the main weather satellite scientists use for keeping tabs on the weather across eastern North America and the Atlantic Ocean has gone offline. [Climate Central]

A San Diego County brush fire that has already destroyed 20 homes and damaged 10 others continued to threaten an additional 80 homes, officials said. [Los Angeles Times]

Forty-seven Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are pushing Speaker John Boehner to eliminate the wind production tax credit, a tax break that has split Republicans and drawn criticism from presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. [Reuters]

A new study released today confirms what many have always suspected: children who live near busy roads are more likely to develop asthma. [Atlantic]

The solar energy market is booming in Massachusetts, as commercial building owners, municipalities, and name-brand retailers like REI and Kohl’s take advantage of state incentives that have made it more affordable to fund solar power projects. [Boston Globe]

Recent research suggests that there’s another, more subtle effect of a warming planet that could be even more economically significant. Higher temperatures appear to cause worker productivity to plummet. [Wonk Blog]

Might want to get your fill of ham this year, because “a world shortage of pork and bacon next year is now unavoidable,” according to an industry trade group. [Los Angeles Times]

It didn’t generate as much attention as the Detroit auto show or, for that matter, a meeting of global oil ministers. But for fans of a technology that seemed on its death-bed a few years ago, National Plug In Day proved to be a powerful way to celebrate a remarkable recovery. [Christian Science Monitor]

The Mediterranean, with its baking summers and warm, wet winters, usually provides an ideal climate for olive groves. But a drought in Spain is having a dramatic impact on the market, according to Thomas Mielke of Oil World, a research firm. [Star Tribune]

For the 16 years preceding Cancun, more than 80 percent of the journalists reporting these conferences came mainly from Europe, the US, Japan and Canada. But Cancun—otherwise known as COP16—saw a reversal of that dynamic, with 55 percent of the reporters from the Global South. This increased to 66 percent in Durban, while those from developed countries dwindled to 34 percent. [Columbia Journalism Review]

The Lib Dem conference this morning apparently ‘overwhelmingly’ passed a motion in favour of decarbonising the UK power sector by 2030. [Carbon Brief]

Satellite measurement of sea surface temperatures has yielded clear evidence of major changes taking place in the waters of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef over the past 25 years, marine scientists have found. [Science Daily]

Sitting through my second day of near constant rain in the UK, with the local rivers very full.Elsewhere in the UK flooding and storm damage is again in the news as a month’s rain falls in a day in some areas. Another 4 inches is expected in some areas by the end of the day.

Earth’s newest addition to the Category 5 tropical cyclone club is Super Typhoon Jelawat, which has intensified to a Category 5 typhoon with 160 mph winds. Jelawat is Earth’s second Category 5 storm of 2012; the other was Super Typhoon Sanba (175 mph winds), which hit Okinawa earlier this month as a Category 3 storm. The two Category 5 storms for 2012 match the total from all of last year. Fortunately, Jelawat is located well east of the Philippine Islands, and the storm is not expected to hit land over the next two days. However, the storm’s outer spiral bands have brought flooding to Zamboanga del Norte province in the eastern Philippines, where 8400 people were evacuated and one person is missing. Wind shear is a light 5 – 10 knots over Jelawat, and the typhoon is over very warm ocean waters of 29°C. These warm waters extend to great depth, which should allow Jelawat to maintain major typhoon status for at least two more days. Satellite loops show an impressive, well-organized typhoon with a large symmetric area of heavy thunderstorms with cold cloud tops.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — An updated ground and aerial survey indicates about 301 million trees have died in rural Texas because of the 2011 drought.
The Texas A&M Forest Service said Tuesday that the figure comes from an examination of hundreds of forested plots statewide.

And still no reason given from extremist Republicans and Christians how today’s sunspot number of 90 (spaceweather.com) caused any of the mentioned events, failure to support weather infrastructure, or even caused their greatest science profit in San Diego unable to notice/warn of the loss of life and homes in his back yard.

In rural San Diego County, also home of 5-Watts of profitable denial, both were under a sunspot number of 46 when the following broke out on 9/23/12 instead of a blizzard. With condolences, “Gusty winds could push fire that killed elderly man, burned 11 homes near Mexico border” (By Associated Press; washingtonpost.com, 9/25/12).

My apologies, I was remiss in criticizing the spittoon of deniers without being all over them like white on rice.

For starters, the good Dr. Tony Phillips reported “Sunspot number: 74 … Updated 22 Sep 2012” (“What’s up in Space”; Dr. Tony Phillips; spaceweather.com, 9/22/12).
A). … 1). Regular qualitative predictions are US for “normal” catastrophic, violent AGW ecosystems (quakes to CMEs to toxic feticide) from the rotten EssoKochFox’s and their willing accomplices. … The AGW dent put in Jupiter appeared to have soaked up a lot of available energy from both the Earth and Sun to create big sunspots and quakes just needing the activation energy that is now present. … AGW sunspots will continued to be blasted out of the nearside with CMEs from both spots and mega-filaments producing lovely solar tsunamis and hitting us with energies of M1 – X6 and Type II Radio Emission (500 – 2,500 km/s). … From this Saturday to the next Saturday, the 287th SEERCH Model (9/16 – 22/12) should produce an increase in the sunspot number (spaceweather.com). The 260th BAZS=ERC Model (9/16 – 22/12) predicts a 150 – 350 sunspot number. From this Saturday to the next Saturday, the 121st Solar Storm Model (9/16 – 22/12) maximum negative Bz will range from -15 to -45 nT”
(“GBRWE 9/23 – 29/12”s Extreme Planetary Warnings for Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Solar/Terrestrial Flares from Human Activities”; Robert Rhodes, Supplemental; GBRWE 9/23 – 29/12, 9/22/12).

Using the tune of an old Texaco advertisement jingle – You can’t even trust our star to the investors who cause our scars.

At least 20% of the AGW predictions last week were correct. There were no complaints from paid deniers, other “peer” reviewers, nor extremist Republican and Christian investors in proving the Mayans “predicted” the end of the world. For 9/23 – 29/12, the 5 main objectives (1 – 5) posted had astronomically small chances (none) of predicting solar-earth ecotone events – compared to terrestrial weather or even earthquakes – under any circumstances. “Nikola Petrov, director of the National Astronomical Observatory in Rozhen” – “No powerful solar flare today and nobody can tell when exactly there will be one: astronomer” ( FOCUS News Agency, Radostina GEORGIEVA; focus-fen.net, 9/22/12). “Phillip Chamberlin, deputy project scientist for the Solar Dynamics Observatory says … ” … the holy grail … to predict solar flares”” (“Solar Flares to Continue Pounding Earth Until 2014”; By JASON KOEBLER; usnews.com, 3/12/12). I used with AGW, a $10 calculator, and Louisiana brain-damage that is a precursor for cancer alley. Deniers and other extremist Republicans and Christians seemed to enjoy roasting us alive to get the last amount of stolen value. “Summary For September 17-23 … No space weather storms were observed. Outlook For September 24-30 … Slight chance for Minor (R1) Radio Blackouts due to returning Regions 1564 and 1566” (“NOAA SWPC Space Weather Advisory Outlook #12-44”; Source: Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA; spaceref.com, 9/24/12).

After the week, at least 2 (40%) of the 5 main objectives were correct. Reproducibility can be found with a simple google search. It should be noted that in any good experiment, 5% of the “corrects” can be false positives like we seen in D(r)enier Ryan Maue’s “Global and Northern Hemisphere Accumulated Cyclone Energy”.

1). Correct – “AGW sunspots will continued to be blasted out of the nearside with CMEs from both spots and mega-filaments … hitting us”. From one CME’s protons hitting Earth within the prediction week on the nearside, “IA. Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 27/2100Z to 28/2100Z: … Region 1577 (N08W41) produced a long duration C3/1f flare … began with a filament eruption … adjacent to the region with a subsequent dual ribbon flare. Associated with this event was an Earth-directed, asymmetric, full-halo CME … IIA. Geophysical Activity Summary 27/2100Z to 28/2100Z: … The greater than 10 MeV proton flux … of 28 pfu … was believed to be associated with the C3/1f flare observed late on 27 September” (“Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity 28 September 2012”; Source: Space Weather Prediction Center, NOAA; spaceref.com, 9/28/12). “The sun erupted with a wide, Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) on Sept. 27, 2012 … will reach Earth on Sept. 29. … from … AR 1577” (“NASA sees sun unleash a wide, but benign, CME”; Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center; sciencecodex.com, 9/28/12). Indicating a 2nd CME from the prediction week, “Monday, Oct. 1, 2012 … DOUBLE IMPACT: Earth’s magnetic field is reverberating in response to a pair of impacts on Sept. 30th. A weak interplanetary shock wave hit Earth at 10:25 UT followed by a stronger CME strike at approximately 22:30 UT” (“What’s up in Space”; Dr. Tony Phillips; spaceweather.com, 10/1/12). With 2 out of 3 from the nearside, with more of the predicted intensity, “FARSIDE EXPLOSION: A sunspot on the farside of the sun exploded on Sept. 27th, sparking a bright flare of extreme ultraviolet radiation and hurling a massive CME into space” (“What’s up in Space”; Dr. Tony Phillips; spaceweather.com, 9/28/12).

5). Technically incorrect – “from this Saturday to the next Saturday, the 121st Solar Storm Model … maximum negative Bz will range from -15 to -45 nT”. For total solar storms, the 121st Solar Storm Model (9/23 – 29/12) was incorrect with the largest maximum negative Bz of -7.5, on 9/26/12 with -15 to -45 nT predicted (swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/ace, ace_mag_1m.txt). From the CME that occurred during 9/23 – 29/12, the largest maximum negative Bz the next period was -19.9 on 9/30/12 at 2339 UTC (swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/ace, ace_mag_1m.txt).

Even with evidence like the above, only deniers believe that a one-step science-ish method is better that the 5-step scientific method, a radiation storm-driven refrigerator is possible, and satellite destruction improves their talking points. ““Climate change is real … humans are largely the problem” … The first of these statements is meaningless. The second is completely unsubstantiated. … based on science … the future of our planet’s climate is simply a modern-day myth. TOM HARRIS … Executive director … International Climate Science Coalition” (“Climate science still uncertain”; By The Washington Times; washingtontimes.com, 9/25/12). “It’s desperation time for global warming alarmists … crying “The Sky Is Falling!” … The predictions are laughable on their face … an early sign of dementia … out-ridiculous every alarmist global warming prediction … an absurd prediction … in the real world” (“100 Million Examples of Global Warming Absurdity“; Written By: James M. Taylor; forbes.com, 9/12/12). “ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson … questioned the ability of climate models to predict the magnitude of the impact. He said that people would be able to adapt” (“Exxon’s CEO: Climate, energy fears overblown”; JONATHAN FAHEY, Associated Press; huffingtonpost.com, 6/27/12). “New study finds that a Carrington class solar event could cause global cooling of more than 3C … Posted on September 26, 2012 by Anthony Watts … “a solar proton event …″ … resulting in a “significant [global] cooling of more than 3C” … H/t to The Hockey Schtick … 5 Responses to New study finds that a Carrington class solar event could cause global cooling of more than 3C … MarkW says: September 26, 2012 at 7:56 pm … I don’t remember reading about a similar cooling event following the 1859 Carrington even” (wattsupwiththat.com). “Modeling the Riddle of the Sun’s Explosive CME’s … Posted on September 27, 2012 by Anthony Watt … 9 Responses to Modeling the Riddle of the Sun’s Explosive CME’s … Maus says: September 27, 2012 at 2:50 am … “These fundamental phenomena cannot be observed even with the most advanced instruments on board NASA satellites …” … “Our theory is wholly untestable”” (wattsupwiththat.com).

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and its Russian partner OAO Rosneft (ROSN) are taking steps to drill near the ocean-floor wasteland, eager to plumb an Arctic region estimated to hold enough crude to supply the world for five years. They’ve sidestepped environmental groups’ calls for a clean-up prior to exploration of the area off Russia’s northern coast where Soviet ships dumped worn-out reactors and 17,000 containers of radioactive waste.